


Bet

by ChildishSadism



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galra Keith (Voltron), Implied Torture, M/M, Somewhat, alternative universe, idk - Freeform, idk yet, shit gonna get dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 23:39:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16650085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChildishSadism/pseuds/ChildishSadism
Summary: A crash and an injury were supposed to give Shiro a small break in the chaotic war his planet was facing. He never expected to be chosen to carry on a different type of mission, just like he never expected for Earth to consider having a Galra war prisoner. Time was running short and yet, for some reason, every day he spent talking to this Galra felt like a never-ending eternity.





	Bet

**Author's Note:**

> Heeeeey, what's up and shit.  
> Well, I like Galra and I like Keith and I like Galra Keith so I wrote this and idk I like Shiro too and they are hot so why not make a fic like this. IDK 
> 
> I'm new to writing Voltron so gimme a heads up with how I"m doing plz. I kinda dunno what I'm doing tbh.
> 
> Additional warnings: My shitty English, thank you for coming to my shit post kik. Take a shot for every time I wrote Galra or Galran. You'll die before you done reading this jizz. 
> 
> Tumblr: https://demnocts.tumblr.com/

“I’m honestly surprised they picked you for his assignment.”

 

The words were not insulting or arrogant. If anything they held a hint of worry and suspicion. If it had been anyone else Shiro might have had a few things to say about anyone questioning his capabilities, but right now he shared the same thoughts as the person guiding him through the empty hallways.

 

Matthew glanced back at Shiro with a small, apologetic smile. He meant no harm by his words but he also couldn’t hide his surprise. Shiro was one of their best pilots if not the very best, there was no questioning that. No one could deny his leadership and strong sense of duty, even when the missions were not a success, they were handled in a way that maybe no other leading pilot could manage them.

 

“You and me both, I haven’t been to earth in over two years. Our front lines are still struggling but we are slowly starting to gain the upper hand,” Shiro said and took the time to look around him.

 

The underground facility wasn’t one that Shiro was familiar with. It was probably built during his absence or quite possibly he was never told about it. The hallways were for the most part empty, it was rare to see someone walking behind them or going in the opposite direction. The doors looked heavy and the security was topnotch. There were a handful of guards positioned on each main entrance and a few guards were seen patrolling here and there. Some rooms even had a couple of guards standing right outside the door with weapons ready to be used.

 

It was starting to feel and look more like a prison by the minute. Shiro wasn’t in the position he was given just because he was a good pilot, it was a no-brainer to notice things like this for him. It was something he couldn’t shut off after years of training. The thick walls and doors and the level of security weren’t given to just any research facility, as what they said they were taking him to. This felt different, far too different and the tension could be felt every time he walked by one of the guards. They were nervous and stiff as if they were waiting to be attacked at any minute.

 

“So, how is it to be back on earth? Had some good food?” Matthew grinned and looked back at Shiro. It had been months since the last time he was able to see Shiro. It was nice to have a friend back.

 

“You have no idea, the first thing I did was raid any restaurant near my apartment. I almost forgot how real meat tasted like, even less seafood. I can’t believe I lasted this long with just our regular rations,” Shiro sighed and smiled at the memory of the large meal he had the night before. War rations were not the worse but it could never compare to real food. He could still taste the tender beef and it was only making him hungry again.

 

“I getcha, that’s the first thing I did too!” Matthew grinned. “I think my mom was scared I was going to get sick but she still kept making anything I asked her.”

 

“I’m sure she was happy to have you back, I haven’t seen her in forever,” Shiro added and followed Matthew inside an elevator.

 

“You should come visit. Pop’s usually has to work long hours but he still makes time to come eat dinner at least, you can say hi to him too,” Matthew said as he clicked on a lower level in the elevator.

 

“I’m sure I can make time for it, I don’t have much to do right now. Asides from this new assignment, all that I'm doing is teaching and scouting new cadets.” Shiro smiled again to try to hide his curiosity. They were going to be going further underground, this just didn’t make any sense. He was still in the dark about this assignment and the fact that he was in a facility that he had never visited wasn’t really doing much to ease his nerves.

 

The elevator doors opened and Shiro was greeted with a reception area with soldiers standing by the elevator and on the door just ahead of them. The small area had a few chairs and large windows with thick glass next to the doors. The guards were watching them carefully while another soldier approached the window from the other side and waved at them.

 

Matthew walked over and waved back before a small buzzing noise could be heard from the speakers around them.

 

“Hey, you’re early,” The soldier said chuckled as she picked up a couple of badges from her desk and slipped them underneath a small opening at the bottom of the large window.

 

“I figured I should try to be early for this one, y’know how impatient they can be,” Matthew sighed and rolled his eyes as he picked up the badges. He handed Shiro one and then slipped his own around his neck.

 

“I know, maybe if they weren’t holed up in here all day they could lighten up,” The soldier chuckled and then pushed a button on her desk. A loud buzzing sound was heard before the main double doors started to open.

 

The soldiers by the door moved to the side and gave Matthew a friendly greeting as the two walked through the doors. The doors ended up closing right behind them and Shiro watched as the guards went back to their usual spot.

 

“So, I’m going to talk about the elephant in the room and ask why we are in a prison?” Shiro looked around him, noticing how the security was tighter in this area. The doors had at least two extra sets of locks and there were more guards patrolling the hallways. The doors now had names on them now and seemed to be coordinated in some sort of way, but Shiro wasn’t sure how.

 

“Ehhh, kinda hard to explain. I mean, I think I know what they’re going to try to do but I think is best if they explain it to you,” Matthew glanced back at Shiro and sighed quietly, “Listen, things have been kinda rough here on earth lately. I’m not saying I agree with how things are being done at all, but there is little any of us can do at this point. The higher-ups seriously think this is a way for us, for earth, to win the war so keep that in mind but also take what I say with a grain of salt.”

 

“Okay, thank you for the heads up, I guess,” Shiro awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and rolled his shoulders. He was trying to at least relax. He was back on earth, he was still safe.

 

“We are here,” Matthew used his badge to open the door and let Shiro go in first.

 

Shiro couldn’t even try to hide the surprise on his face when he stepped through those doors. The thick metallic doors were now replaced with energy barriers, something stronger and for sure deadlier if someone tried to escape. The cell blocks were larger but they only held one person inside, well, one living creature inside.

 

Shiro was able to recognize some of the aliens. He knew them because he fought against them before, all of these races were part of the Galra Empire. They all served under the Galra and fought for them. They were the first line of attack that they always had to face whenever they dealt with an assault. At this point, it wasn’t unknown for them that these races were the empire’s disposable troops, something to throw at them to distract them or weaken them before sending their actual troops. The Galran pretty much considered them lower than their sentries. Metal and resources had a higher value than their lives.

 

The issue was how extremely difficult it was to make any of these races join their alliance. They had been brainwashed by the Galra for far too long and were afraid to go against them. In most cases, there was no other choice but to fight them and end that aid one way or the other. It was one of the toughest parts of being in the front lines and watching first hand what this war was doing to them. Thankfully it wasn’t always like that and now they had a few allies that were on their side.

 

“They all seem so...docile,” Shiro raised one of his brows and watched as a large alien that looked as if he was made out of rock didn’t even bother to look at them.

 

“Yeah, they do,” Matthew didn’t say anything else but his quiet tone and dry tone gave Shiro all that he needed.

 

Shiro opened his mouth to say something but opted against it. He could already tell that Matthew wasn’t too thrilled about showing Shiro any of this. He looked distant and his usual friendly expression was replaced by a stoic look.

 

Shiro was familiar with cell blocks like these. He had seen them before, in fact, the structure was extremely familiar now that he had some sort of idea of what was going on. The cell blocks were organized exactly the same way he could remember seeing them in Galra controlled territory or ships.

 

Matthew used his badge on a new door and they stepped inside another reception area, except this one was far larger and had a central computer system set up. The wall on their left was covered with different monitors that showed all the cameras positioned on the hallways and also their security system in case someone tried to escape. The right side of the room had smaller computer setups and a large table with a few guards already sitting on them.

 

Shiro had been so busy looking around that he missed when someone approached them. Shiro’s attention snapped back when Matthew gently nudged his side with his elbow. He looked ahead of him and stared at the admiral uniform in front of him before he quickly straightened his back to salute the woman in front of him.

 

“At ease soldiers,” The woman kept her hands behind her back and didn’t break eye contact with Shiro. “I’m Admiral Sanda, I’m in charge of this facility for the time being. It is a pleasure to meet you, Shirogane.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you too, Admiral,” Shiro reached out his hand for a handshake and was pleasantly surprised of how quickly Sanda returned the handshake.

 

“Likewise, I would like to get straight to the point and keep this meeting brief if we could,” Sanda gave a firmed nod and motioned for the two to follow. She led them through the next set of double doors and used her badge the open them. “I know you are only on earth for a few weeks but I’ll like to take advantage of your time here before you go back to the battlefield.”

 

“I would like nothing else but to help with whatever I can,” Shiro followed behind the Admiral and glanced over at Matthew once in a while.

 

“Thank you, your efforts to help win this war are truly admirable. How’s your injury doing?” Sanda asked and looked over at Shiro with a raised brow.

 

“It’s healing well but slowly,” Shiro didn’t really want to talk about the reason why he was back on earth. The light, pulsating pain in his body was the only reminder he needed.

 

“Good, before you know it you’ll be back piloting. In the meantime, I’m sure we can use your help here,” Sanda kept looking ahead, guiding them through another cell block. “This is a facility that was built before the war but is now being used with a different purpose. As you know, we were unaware of the Galra Empire for quite some time, if it wasn’t because of the Altea Alliance that approached us we wouldn’t have stood a chance against the Galra. They were the ones that provide us with the means to fight against the Galra and help end their empire.”

 

“However, there is still much we don’t know about the Galra,” The admiral continued but stopped in front of a cell block. The barrier was up but there was no one inside, “This facility’s purpose is to extra any information about the Galra, using any means necessary. All the inmates are allies that were captured during the war. We have been able to gain quite some information from them and it is what has helped us make new plans against the empire.

 

It wasn’t unheard of for facilities like these to exist. It was a war after all. It didn’t compare to some of the ones he found inside Galra ships. It was something that Shiro still had troubles seeing after so many times. It still left you in shock and worse of all, it made the empire look less human, less understandable.

 

“Sadly, we can only get so much information from capturing lower ranked soldiers. As you know the Galra mostly use sentries to attack and leave their own people as the last line of defense. They are also quite barbaric and they would rather be found dead than accept they lost,” Sanda shook her head and used her badge to lower the barrier in front of them. It was only then that Shiro noticed there was another door.

 

“Yeah, the Galra consider defeat something worse than death. The radical Galra even would rather end their own lives than be captured by the enemy,” Shiro added to the conversation.

 

“Precisely, it is the reason why we consider ourselves lucky this time,” Sanda said and opened the double doors in front of him.

 

The familiar sight of glowing yellow eyes had Shiro tensing up right away. He was stiff and felt his body moving on its own as he took a battle stance right away. It was almost an automatic response he couldn’t ignore. The familiar opaque violet skin with a few accents of violent was impossible to mistake as anything else. It was a Galra.

 

The Galra was kneeling down on the cold floor with thick metal cuffs keeping his legs glued to the floor. The bench in front of him had him bend over to have something to lean on while a thick metal collar that was attached to the ground made it impossible for him to move his head almost at all. Both of his arms were behind his back and in shackles that had a thick chain attached to the ceiling to keep him from being able to move them.

 

The Galra was glaring at them, his eyes narrowed while his pupils turned into slim slits that looked vicious. He was growling, his fangs showing as he struggled to get free. He looked like a caged animal and was acting like one. He was struggling non-stop, trying to break free but there was no way for him to get loose. The dark purple hair that was almost black was sticking to his forehead and cheeks, framing his face as he continued to struggle.

 

Shiro was able to see a tail frantically moving back and forth while a pair of wide, long and fluffy, elf-like ears were leaning back in a sign of hostility. He had seen enough Galra by now to know when they were being hostile just by the way their bodies would react. It was almost as if their whole race was built around the concept of battle and nothing else, even their bodies did it involuntarily, regardless of if they looked similar or not.

 

The Galra in front of him was a pilot. Shiro could tell because of the uniform he was wearing. He also had to be a hybrid, he was far too small for a normal Galran, or maybe he was just young.

 

“We were able to capture him after they attempted a rogue mission on earth. He was about to end his life when we found him and we were able to stop him,” Sanda walked over and stood near the Galra before glancing over at Shiro. “We have tried everything we could think of to extract information of the empire from him, but he refuses to speak to us. We even tried...more drastic measures.”

 

Shiro knew very well what drastic measures meant. He was not naive or a fool. He simply nodded at the admiral and took a step closer. He rolled his shoulders and tried to relax, feeling somewhat glad that no one noticed how he became hostile as well the moment he saw the Galra.

 

“Or at least we thought so. He might refuse to speak to us, but he has a way to speak to other soldiers,” Sanda glanced at the Galra and then at Shiro. “He speaks only to soldiers that have been at war, he can tell. He smells them and can tell. It is only natural for a beast to be able to do so. He spoke to two of our soldiers before, it was how we figured out his name.”

 

“Sadly, that’s not the only thing he has done,” Matthew added this time.

 

“Correct,” Sanda continued after Matthew. “Somehow he managed to turn two of our guards against us and plot two different escape attempts already. Before turning some of our own, he attempted to escape three times and almost succeeded each and every time. Now, both of his arms are dislocated and kept that way to keep him from getting free and from harming himself.”

 

Shiro closed his eyes and rubbed them with one of his hands before looking back at the Admiral and Matthew again. “He has done all of this and you guys still kept him? Do you know how many more people he could kill if he actually gets free, or what he could do to us from the inside out? A Galra war prisoner is a ticking bomb, there is a reason why Altea don’t bother with it either.”

 

“Altea people refuse to do it, we know but we cannot just keep using their methods if we want to win this war, we have to try something new. This could be the key to win this war, this could be the one chance we get,” Sanda’s words were firm. She didn’t have a doubt in her mind that what they were doing was right.

 

Sanda gave one last firm nod walked out of the room before waiting for the two to follow. She looked back at the Galra one last time, ignoring the glare that was sent in her direction and her direction alone. She closed the door behind her, leaving the prisoner in the darkness.

 

“Why would a pilot from the Galra empire have information that could be so vital to our cause? You said you already tried everything you could, Admiral. Why would think he would tell us anything?” Shiro was at lost. He couldn’t understand how any of this plan was reasonable at all.

 

“Because, he already told those soldiers enough,” Sanda guided them back to the control room and walked over to one of the large monitors. She picked up a small tablet and the videos in the monitor changed. It was an audio file.

 

Shiro stood near the monitor, listening to the static coming from it before a loud scream was heard. It wasn’t a Galra scream though, it was a human scream. The loud voice was panting heavily and groaning in pain. Shiro could hear the shakiness in his voice and how hoarse it was. Another scream was heard, but it followed with the sound of something wet and flesh being ripped. Loud sobbing followed, and whimpers of pain that made it sound as if the person was nothing but a child. The sound of something electric and sharp broke in between the sobs and then there was another scream.

 

The screaming kept going and going, only adding to the sound of something mechanical cutting through flesh. A loud cried of pain was the last thing that happened before the person started to stutter.

 

“K...k...ke....pl...ple…” The voice was rough and almost too high pitched. It kept getting interrupted by sobs of pain or just whimpers. “N-na...name...h-his n-name...K-k...k-keith!”

 

The recording ended then. Sanda put the small tablet down and turned to Shiro.

 

“The soldiers only told us his name, every single one of them and after that, we gave them some freedom and space, they all killed themselves. One way or the other. Just like a Galra would when feeling dishonored,” Sanda shook her head, looking so disappointed and at the same time disgusted. “We are positive he told them more than that but we never got anything else from them. It is your mission to get information from this Galra, you know them better, you fought them, you can tell how they think.”

 

“I understand that, Admiral. What I don’t understand is why do you believe this can help us? Why risk soldiers and why risk our planet by keeping a Galra in here? I don’t understand,” Shiro had heard awful stories from Altea tales about Galran war criminals, how it had been some of their biggest mistakes. He knew for a fact the Admiral knew about these. So why? Why risk so much for a pilot?

 

“Because according to the intel Alteas have provided for us. Keith is the name of the only son of Krolia, the head commander in charge of Zarkon’s whole fleet. The Galra, that is responsible for every single battle in that empire. That is why,” Sanda finished her words by handing Shiro the small tablet with a picture on the screen.

 

It was a blurry picture that was for sure taken after a battle. A battle the Galra won. Zarkon was standing tall and proud and next to him was a female Galra but what caught Shiro’s attention wasn’t that but the familiar face next to her. It was the same Galra that he had just met minutes ago. The Galra named Keith.

 

They didn’t just have a war criminal. They had the son of the highest commander in the Galra Empire.

 

Shiro was right, he was right to be worried. The Galra was a ticking bomb and soon enough it was going to go off, one way or the other.

  


* * *

  


Shiro gently placed the metal chair on the floor and glanced back to give the soldier behind him a thumbs up. The soldier nodded and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. The moment the doors closed the dim lights above them switched on, giving Shiro a better view of the Galra in front of him. He didn’t notice it before but he had a few cuts and bruises on his face, not to mention his neck from struggling against the collar keeping him in place. The Galra was at least not hissing and growling at him this time, he was quietly staring at Shiro.

 

Shiro awkwardly made himself comfortable on his chair and then coughed quietly against his fist. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms before glancing at the Galra. Keith was his name, right?

 

Keith was staring back at Shiro with an unimpressed look. He was blinking slowly and not before long he was glancing away.

 

Shiro wasn’t even sure how to start this sort of conversation, he didn’t have much experience with any kind of interrogation and he was for sure not someone that could push many boundaries to make people talk. He knew the facility had done that already if what the admiral said was true. It left Shiro to very limited options on how to make the Galra talk.

 

Well, there was little he could do by just sitting here and not talking. He could at least try to start some sort of conversation.

 

Shiro pondered for a few seconds and then sighed quietly, his attention back on the Galra. “Your name is Keith, correct?”

 

The Galra remained quiet but Shiro was able to see a slight twitch on his ears after he mentioned his name. At least they weren’t wrong about his name, or it was a word the Galra was at least familiar with.

 

“My name is Takashi Shirogane. I’m a commander in one of the Altea and Earth battleships,” Shiro was trying not to give the Galra a lot of information about him, but he also wasn’t sure of what else to say.

 

The room remained silent after that. Shiro tapped his fingers against his arm and sighed. This was a waste of time, how the hell was he supposed to do this? He was used to the battlefield, not things like this. He wanted to be in top shape again, to hurry up and get this over it.

 

“You miss it, don’t you?”

 

Shiro’s attention was quickly taken by the Galra again. He was staring at him with wide eyes, not at all understanding why he decided to speak now.

 

“The battles?” Keith added next, his voice quiet and rough. As if he hadn’t had anything to drink in quite a while. “The adrenaline, the rush, the tough decisions. Everything that comes with it. The victories and the loses. You’re not made for this part of the job.”

 

Shiro remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt Keith. He didn’t want to risk making him go silent again.

 

“That’s why earthlings are so weak, if our positions were the opposite...I would have had you singing louder than any bitch you have ever had,” The quiet snicker that came after those words surprised Shiro.

 

This was not what he expected, this was interesting. This was different, it beat the boring routine he had for the last couple of weeks and it made Shiro smirk.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Krolia has got the best big dick energy and I'll rather drown myself in oatmeal than have her be anything else but the baddest bad ass ever.


End file.
